


salt in my mouth

by decidueye



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, closet makeouts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-18 00:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3549890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/decidueye/pseuds/decidueye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tooru and Wakatoshi grow through volleyball. They also grow, just a little bit, through each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	salt in my mouth

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for aroguchi's 'things you said' request, after she dropped me with five prompts. she's lucky i love her, to be honest.

**_2\. Things you said through your teeth_ **

“I’ll defeat you.”

Wakatoshi stares down at Oikawa. He’s a messy crier, snarling at Wakatoshi and rubbing his sleeves against his damp face. Wakatoshi takes a step back, wiping his palms on the fabric of his shorts. They’re sweaty.

Oikawa’s saying the wrong things.

“You don’t have to,” Wakatoshi replied. It’s supposed to be comforting, but Oikawa jerks back like he’s been hit, eyes wide and gleaming. he hiccups once, not bothering to sniff as snot dribbles down his nose. Wakatoshi thinks about offering him a tissue.

He doesn’t.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Come to Shiratorizawa. Then you won’t have to worry about impossible things; we’ll win together.”

Wakatoshi doesn’t understand why Oikawa’s so fixated on defeating him. A setter can’t compete against an ace. They’re opposites - they can only fuel each other. Besides, there is no team that can defeat Shiratorizawa. Not while Wakatoshi is there.

Oikawa stares at him for exactly three seconds. Wakatoshi counts them, and then watches as he turns away without responding, into the arms of Kitagawa Daiichi’s ace.

“I’ll defeat him,” Wakatoshi hears him say, and he moves on. There’s a competition to prepare for.

Shiratorizawa wins the national championships. No one is surprised.

Spring passs, and Wakatoshi enters Shiratorizawa high with the same setter he’s been playing with for three years.

No one is surprised. Or at least, his teammates tell him, no one should be.

**_5\. Things you didn’t say at all_ **

_You’ve changed._

It’s written in Ushijima’s shocked expression when Tooru is finally, finally able to break the wall that separated them; to stand up to him on even terms.

It’s not the victory he’d fantasised about for years that gives him courage, though. It’s a loss, to _Tobio_ of all people, and Tooru thinks that he’s finally found something that he and Ushijima can agree on.

He’s changed.

Ushijima stands above him, solid and daunting as ever. He’s here to gloat, Tooru’s sure; to tell him ‘I told you so’ and watch Tooru crumble.

He refuses to give him that. He’s lost enough today.

Tooru has no regrets. Aoba Johsai is the team he was supposed to play with, and things are far from over. He’s proud of himself as he says as much to Ushijima; proud of himself as he gives due credit to Tobio; and he’s especially proud of the expression he leaves on Ushijima’s face.

Tooru knows what Ushijima’s thinking.  _You’ve changed. I don’t understand. You’re wrong._ Tooru laughs.

He’s not wrong, and Ushijima will find out soon enough.

(Shiratorizawa loses the finals at the Spring Preliminaries. Tooru’s in the stands, and he cheers for every point Karasuno scores.)

**_11\. Things you said when you were drunk_ **

“I wanted to play against you.”

“...what?”

Tooru’s never seen Ushijima like this before. He looks lost amidst the crowd of people, crammed into their captain’s tiny apartment, an he’s swaying on his feet. There’s a can of something - definitely alcoholic - in his hands, and he’s staring at it like it isn’t his.

No one had prepared Ushijima for college volleyball’s party scene, apparently. When they’d arrived (separately, of course, despite leaving their dorms at the same time), Tooru hadn’t been able to resist snapping a picture of the terrified expression on Ushijima’s face, captioning it ‘priceless’ before sending it off to Iwaizumi.

After that, Ushijima had vanished, overwhelmed by a group of Shiratorizawa alumni, and Tooru hadn’t seen him again until now, when Ushijima stumbles into him, a hand heavy on Tooru’s shoulder as he mumbles…

...well, Tooru isn’t really sure what he said.

“What?” Tooru asks again, and immediately regrets it when Ushijima shuffles closer, leaning in so his face is level with Tooru’s. His gaze is intense, but his eyelids are drooping, and Tooru thinks he’s one more drink away from curling up for a nap.

“I wanted…” Ushijima says again, and he’s speaking slowly, frowning down at his own mouth like he’s annoyed with it for not cooperating. It’s almost endearing, except Tooru doesn’t want to think about that. “The preliminaries… I wanted to. Play...against. You.”

Well, that’s surprising.

“You…” Tooru struggles to respond. He’d read the interviews - Ushijima had always said that he didn’t care who he played against - he just wanted to win. “Was the ‘advice’ you gave me not enough? Did you want to tell me I’d picked the wrong team one last time on the court?”

Ushijima - and Tooru can barely believe this is happening - _whines_ , bending his head and butting it clumsily against Tooru’s shoulder. Tooru makes a disgusted face, pushing him away.

“Maybe,” Ushijima says, then shakes his head, “I don’t know.”

He’s gone before Tooru can really register his words, pressing the half empty can into Tooru’s hands and reaching out for one of the senpai.

Tooru doesn’t want to think about what this means. He sniffs the can, downs what’s left, and then heads for another drink.

_**16\. Things you said with no space between us.** _

“I still don’t like you.”

It’s the first time Oikawa has spoken since he hustled Wakatoshi into one of the lesser used storage cupboards in the gym. Wakatoshi had tripped once, on what was probably a broom, and Oikawa had caught him, a hand tight on his hip as he pressed him against the back wall.

They’re kissing now. Wakatoshi’s senses are hyper alert - if one of their teammates catches them, they’ll be suspended, and his chances of becoming captain next year will disappear. He can hear the sounds of the first years packing away even as Oikawa pulls gently on his lower lip with his teeth.

It’s strange, Wakatoshi thinks, half distracted, but he likes it.

“I still don’t like you,” Oikawa says. Wakatoshi tries to remember if there’s anything the first years will need to put in this cupboard. He kisses Oikawa’s neck, and Oikawa bites his earlobe.

The sounds from the gym subside. The light beneath the door goes out.

“I still don’t like you,” Oikawa says. Long, slender fingers travel down Wakatoshi’s chest, dipping below the waistband of his gym shorts.

Wakatoshi is fairly certain he likes Oikawa.

_**20\. Things you said I wasn’t meant to hear** _

“He’s alright, you know.” Oikawa’s on the phone when Wakatoshi arrives at the gym, two hours ahead of everyone else. It’s the first day of their final year, and he’s restless. Clearly Oikawa feels the same.

Wakatoshi should probably announce his presence. He doesn’t. He wonders who Oikawa’s talking about, and who the person on the other end of the phone is.

“Of course he’s still an asshole! That’s probably written into his DNA,” Wakatoshi realises that Oikawa’s talking about him - he’d texted him as much last week, and Wakatoshi had replied with ‘LOL’, “but he’s talented, you know? And it’s been two years, I’m pretty sure he’s been trying to be friendly…”

Wakatoshi frowns. That hasn’t been obvious?

There’s a pause, and Oikawa grimaces at the phone, sticking his tongue out. That kind of expression is usually reserved for Iwaizumi.

“No, I haven’t gone soft, Iwa-chan! I’m just being a good setter. You know me, I’m the best, right? But how’s Hokkaido?”

The subject changes, and Wakatoshi counts exactly one minute and ten seconds before deciding he can let Oikawa know he’s there. He drops his gym bag on the floor, and the sound echoes across to Oikawa, who glances his way before saying goodbye.

“Welcome back,” Wakatoshi says. It’s polite, after all.

“I’m Captain now,” Oikawa tells him, putting his phone with the rest of his belongings and grabbing a volleyball from the cart.

“Yes.”

“And you’re Vice-Captain,” Wakatoshi doesn’t know why Oikawa’s telling him things they both already know. They had found this out months ago.

“Yes.”

“I still don’t like you,” Oikawa says, spinning the ball in his hands. Wakatoshi shrugs - he’s learned that this is the correct response. They set up the net together in silence.

Oikawa tosses to Wakatoshi. Wakatoshi spikes, and it feels like it always has: perfect, and undefeatable.

“I still don’t like you, but let’s have a good year, I guess.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> there isn't enough ushioi in this world. there isn't enough appreciation for the complex creature that is ushijima. if you can brighten my life with this, talk to me on tumblr at [](http://queerkashima.tumblr.com)queerkashima


End file.
